Veterans win when politicians understand the promise of a square deal has become a mere premise of one. What used to work doesn’t anymore, and soldiers are getting ambushed after discharge by a VA benefits system posing as allies. It is as if we are asking, “Will you pretend with us that we will keep our promise to you?” President Obama and Secretary Shinseki have begun the essential work of rebooting the VA system. Veterans are grateful for it and have asked me to ask you to continue the effort and to develop new thinking to solve the persistent problems of: 1) Veteran suicide 2) Veteran unemployment and homelessness 3) Veteran college dropout rates 4) Poor and demoralizing delivery of veteran benefits 5) Under-utilization of veteran training and expertise in the American workplace Every unemployed, homeless, or underserved veteran is a lost opportunity and a lost investment for this country. American taxpayers have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars per veteran to train them in the most advanced technologies the world has ever seen, yet we relinquish that investment by letting them join the ranks of the jobless, the homeless, and the underserved.